TURI Research Grants

The maximum funding amount for each research project is $35,000 per academic year.   Recipients will have the opportunity to apply for the renewal of funding for subsequent years. This program emphasizes the importance of graduate student engagement, and the bulk of the funding provided is intended to compensate graduate students actively involved in the research. Strong preference will be given to proposals where the TURI funded research will be the same topic as the graduate student’s master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation.

Budgets must be developed for proposed research projects, and must consider the following:

• Graduate student stipend and tuition/fees should be included. For one-year projects, TURI prefers to fund full time (18 hrs/week) research assistants (RA), who will be eligible to receive a full time RA stipend and full tuition waiver.

• Graduate student time during non-academic year periods is optional and may be included (e.g., during winter and spring breaks and the period from the end of the academic year to the end of TURI’s fiscal year, June 30, 2026). The total budget allocated for non-academic periods should not exceed $4,000 per year.
• Costs for graduate students that elect health care coverage.
• Undergraduate students can provide additional assistance to the research on an hourly contract basis. These costs should not exceed $3,000 per year.
• Testing services, materials, equipment, and/or supplies, should not exceed a total of $3,000 per year. All purchase requests must be submitted to TURI no later than May 1, 2026.
• Travel expenses and non-student compensation (e.g., consultant, faculty, and post-doctoral) are not typically allowed.
• For UMass Lowell faculty only: Because this research funding is an internal source for any UMass Lowell recipient, there has been no requirement to include the UMass Lowell RA Tuition Contribution of $8,000 throughout the history of this grant program. Therefore, this amount does not need to be incorporated into your budget estimate.

Researchers selected to receive this funding award are responsible for the following:

• Attendance at a kick-off meeting, to be held: 1) in person at or near the research facilities of the funding recipient or the industry partner or 2) remotely via video conference call, preferably during early September 2025;
• Attendance of the “Beyond the SDS” in person or virtual training class for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students on the proposed research team^[1]. TURI prefers that research teams receive this training no later than the end of the Fall 2025 semester;
• If the solution you are considering research that contains nanomaterials, additional laboratory safety training will be required, along with a commitment to adhere to the General Safe Practices for Working with Engineered Nanomaterials in Research Laboratories;
• Participation in bi-weekly project status in-person meetings or conference calls with TURI staff. These status meetings may include the industry partner when appropriate;
• PI will review and approve all student time submittals for RA contract, graduate student work during non-academic periods, and undergraduate hourly contract; and
• A project summary or draft journal article, due June 30, 2026, that includes a description of the research objectives, research plan, discussion of results, description of the chemical hazard review associated with the chemicals/materials studied, and suggestions for future research. TURI and the PI will work together to determine the appropriate target journal for the article.  Preference will be given to journals that provide open access for free or for a nominal fee.  In the event that intellectual property is developed as part of the research, the journal article must provide as much detail about the research methods and results as possible without directly impacting intellectual property rights.  If the paper is not accepted by the journal, then the content will be made available to the public as a TURI report.

^[1] People who have already attended this training are not required to attend a second time, though all are invited to join the training.

In order to maintain confidentiality for both researchers and their industry partners, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) will be executed by the University of Massachusetts and the industry partner to cover information exchanged during the research process, and a material transfer agreement (MTA) will be executed by University of Massachusetts and the industry partner to cover any materials exchanged during the research process. Management of intellectual property developed as a result of the research shall be through the University of Massachusetts Lowell Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) (https://www.uml.edu/research/otc/), or its equivalent at other University of Massachusetts campuses.  If the UMass Lowell OTC relinquishes the intellectual property, then the industry partner will then have the option to control the intellectual property.

Industry partners are encouraged to support/fund continued research in subsequent years. Any such sponsorship would be under a separate agreement. The intent is to have ongoing good faith cooperation between the University of Massachusetts and the industry partner during the research process.

Proposals should not exceed four pages in length (not including Curriculum Vitae and industry letter of support) and should include the following information:

• Project title, toxic chemical to be replaced; target application of the toxic chemical to be replaced (e.g., degreasing, electroplating, coating, etc.), and existence of any other potential solutions;
• Principal Investigator(s), including Massachusetts university affiliation and department, and Curriculum Vitae;
• Graduate student(s) to be supported in conducting this research, and their Curriculum Vitae. The proposal should indicate the role of the graduate students within the proposed research, and emphasize the relevant learning aspects of the research;
• An industry partner is preferred, but not required for funding. If an industry partner is identified, then include a letters of support describing their anticipated role and contribution. Industry partner support is typically in-kind and relates directly to the research project.  Examples of industry partner support include providing expert feedback on the research plan and results, providing material samples, identifying pertinent performance requirements, and providing access to production and/or testing equipment;
• Project description, including:
  • The research objectives to be accomplished within the one academic year funding period. Include an indication of where the research is along the development path (from basic research to commercialization) and anticipated next steps after the initial period of funding.  Also, what are the potential impacts to Massachusetts companies and the general public if the research objectives are met.
  • Research plan that describes the research activities that will be accomplished to achieve the research objectives, including a detailed description of any chemicals or materials that will be used.
  • Information comparing the relevant characteristics of the chemicals being considered in the research. The alternative chemical proposed is expected to be safer than the target chemical it would replace. The successful proposal should include relevant environmental, health, and safety concerns for all chemicals that will be used in the research and reference the source of those data.  A table similar to the following example could be used to summarize chemical information.  Please note that TURI staff are available for assistance in completing a table like the following example.

• If studying the use of a chemical or material for which there is little or no environmental, health, and safety data (such as for nanomaterials), thoughtful justification should be presented for why this alternative is to be considered safer than the target chemical or process it would replace. This shall include a discussion of the limitations and uncertainties associated with data.  Past proposals have included plans to address chemical data gaps by including some toxicity screening testing or including the identification and evaluation of appropriate chemical analogs; and
• Relevance of research to improve the safety of Massachusetts workers and the general public;

• Describe the perceived likelihood or pathways to commercialization. Please use a search tool (such as Dimensions) to search for any patents, issued grants, or literature that are closely related to your proposed area of research.  Please summarize any found.
• Description of any directly related research for which the PI has, is, or anticipates receiving funding, including the level and duration of funding; and
• Budget breakdown: the total amount typically falls within the $25,000 to $35,000 per year range (refer to the Research Project Budget section for details about budget allowances).

Please submit proposals via email no later than June 27, 2025.   You should submit your proposal in either Word doc or Adobe pdf format, to info@turi.org.

You are encouraged to contact Greg Morose, Research Manager (phone: 978-934-2954 or email: Gregory_Morose@uml.edu) to discuss your research project ideas before writing your proposal.  Proposals will be evaluated by a review panel.

Researchers may be requested to provide clarification and/or to modify their proposals based on the feedback of the review panel. Researchers will be contacted no later than August 8, 2025 with TURI’s final funding decision.

Funding will cover the period from September 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026.